In the Midnight Hour
by Weavillain
Summary: Lori's in charge of the house on New Year's Eve while Mom and Dad are out. Along the way, she makes a promise to Lisa, who is in need of her intervention.
1. Chapter 1

8:38 pm. So far, so good.

...

For now.

The vantage point of the middle of the staircase gave Lori ample room to scan the living room through the bars of the railing to not only make sure that any bedlam could be extinguished before it could start but to also keep an ear out for any potential shenanigans on the second floor.

She wouldn't be there for long, though—standing in the same spot like a stern-faced statue all night wasn't her idea of a fun or practical endeavor. Still, it felt like a necessary course of action after just having to take care of the sack race in the living room (using fine china as a means for obstacles, no less!) between Lynn, Lana, and Lincoln.

That little stunt earned all three of them a thirty-minute time-out in their rooms while also giving Lori a few gray hairs to worry about coloring out later.

In the end, even with the turn of the new year edging closer, Lori wasn't about to break her watchdog conventions for looser surveillance, no matter how many times her younger siblings complained.

Mom and Dad put her in charge of the house for the evening while they went out with some friends for some New Year's "shindig" (Dad's words, not hers) in Ohio. Not only had that left her tied down to the ball and chain of responsibility—a weight that kept her from having a fun night out on the town _herself—_ but she had to be extra vigilant about her surroundings.

' _Nothing like some sugary snacks and the promise of getting able to stay up 'til midnight to turn them all into little wild beasts,'_ Lori thought wistfully without a trace of malice in her thoughts.

Her humility wouldn't let her forget about her younger years and how all it took was half of case of triple fudge cookies and butter pecan ice cream to start literally swinging off the chandelier—the broken leg she got once she fell was a painful and long-lasting reminder about what hapless carelessness could wrought.

All the more reason to be more wary of her surroundings than ever before. She was grateful that Leni, Luna, and Luan (to a decent degree, at least) had a fair amount of restraint, which lightened her load a little bit. She could keep them and the former sack racers out of her mind for the moment.

' _So, it looks like I only have to watch out for Lisa, Lily, Lola, and Lucy right now.'_

Last time she checked on Lola, she was flaunting her singing skills with the kiddie karaoke machine that she got for Christmas as Luna observed and cheered her on. Besides having to tell them to keep it down a few times, they weren't a major hassle.

Leni had Lily in her lap as she and Lucy were watching TV. Lori thought that she'd have to intervene earlier, when the two were having a loud disagreement about which show should be on, but the answer to their problem literally crawled right up to them in the form of their baby sister. Leni was quick to come up with an appealing solution—she and Lucy would have a much better time looking at their adorable sister enjoy herself as she watched what _she_ wanted.

The fact that Lori hadn't seen Luan for a while would've been much more unsettling had it not been for the fact that she had done a house-wide sweep for fireworks hours ago and rid the premises of anything that looked remotely like a cherry bomb. After last year's New Year's Eve prank, it was a miracle that Luan's surprise firecracker jump scare didn't give Mom a heart attack. Even if her absence meant that she was stewing up another prank, at least the most collateral damage would be to someone's ego.

And speaking of absences…

A sharp, rattling sound caught her ears, and her head turned towards upstairs in a jerky reflex. Just as she was about to think about the whereabouts of a certain toddler scientist, the noise shook her out of her mind's reverie. Dreading a dilemma that she thought she'd have to intervene in, Lori was quick to scale the steps to the top in seconds.

The sight of the hallway, moreso on the state of its disarray in its right side, made her stop dead in her tracks as she looked on at the messy carpet in flabbergasted stupor. With widened eyes and an agape mouth, Lori had no choice but to concede to the reality of... _five...six...seven...t-ten_ crunched-up cans of cola littered as far as the eye could see!

Just then, before she could try to make sense of anything, a lone can rolled its way onto the scene.

Right through the open crack from Lisa's ajar bedroom door.

It didn't take long for Lori's confusion to crumble away, agitation taking its place.

" _Lisa!"_ Lori shouted as she marched towards Lisa room with angry stomps in her stride, her presence further announced by the sound of her feet further crushing the soda cans in her wake.

Everyone knew what kind of trouble Lisa could get into herself into and that was when she was of sound mind. Lori didn't want to imagine the danger she could potentially put herself in when she was caffeinated to levels unfit for _anyone_ , let alone a four-year-old.

Lori wasn't thinking about a gentle approach by the time she reached the door—with a hardy shove of her forearm, she struck it aside and found exactly what she expected. There was Lisa, her body twitchy from fear of the sudden intrusion and the effects her reckless soda chugging had caused her. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the bed with an open can of cola in her hands. The gaze in her eyes was glossy, and each spasm of her bottom eyelids only made her frightened stare more unnerving.

It detracted Lori's irritation a bit, but not enough for her to not be stern.

"Lisa, what the heck do you think you're doing?!"

Her booming voice made Lisa drop the can in her lap, spilling its contents on the floor and on her sweater. Even hopped up with too much sugar for her to handle, Lisa had the wherewithal to attempt to mollify her older sister.

"G-g-greet-tings, e-e-ldest s...s-sib-b-b-ling," Lisa babbled, her effort of speech tripped up from panic and caffeine. "H-how m-m-m-m I-"

"Don't give me that 'eldest sibling' spiel! Lisa, you know better than to be drinking this much soda! Look at you! What on Earth were you thinking?!"

Immediately, Lisa took on an apologetic posture as her head bowed in what Lori presumed was shame. It made her heart clench and her gut squirm as her forceful words came back to bite her. She was hoping for a more immediate revelation than this, something that would have her realize her mistake without making her feel small.

But this? This was just downright uncomfortable. Not to mention somewhat hypocritical. After all, she was the one in charge. And she had somehow missed her four-year-old going _this_ deep into her indulgence.

She had asked Lisa what was she was thinking, but now she reconsidered where she was coming from—she should've asked that with a mirror right in front of her.

Before she could form an apology, Lori was taken aback when Lisa suddenly stood to her feet and cross her legs as her teeth clenched within her strained frown.

"Uh, Lisa?" Lori asked worriedly, her brow creased in confusion. "Are...you okay?"

There was a brief flash of distress that shined liked a police beacon through Lisa's eyes before she made a mad sprint past Lori, her frantic murmuring of "bathroom" giving out a strong hint on where she was going. Sure enough, Lori poked her head out of the room in time to see Lisa making a beeline towards her destination.

Lori wouldn't intrude on her potty emergency, but wasn't about to let this go without a sister-to-sister talk.

Oh, and without cleaning up the mess in the hallway. Yeah, that was kinda important, too.

* * *

Lori rarely experienced things that both succeeded and failed to surprise her at the same time, and Lisa's four consecutive bathroom runs had done the trick.

On one hand, it wasn't much of a shock, considering that it was a tiny bladder versus ten cans of soda. On the other hand...dang, _four times_. Poor girl.

Finally, with Lisa's urge to tinkle seemingly put at ease, now Lori could do the both of them a favor by putting Lisa's guilt to rest. As Lori stood above Lisa while she sat on her bed, she let the silence between them give her room to survey Lisa's expression—her looming shadow made it a little tough, but she could still manage.

Those nasty jitters were finally gone, but looking at Lisa staring down at her lap with a sad frown was just as bad. She was able to flush out ounces of soda of her system, but not any lingering feelings of guilt that her harsh words had caused.

She was slow to bend down at the waist and reach out for a hug, hesitant to go further than Lisa probably wanted out of her right now.

"Lisa, I'm sorry, okay? I only acted that way because I..."

She clamped her mouth shut before her sentence could come out fully. She shook her head in self-reprimand while she retracted and stood up straight. She was pressed to also apologize for trying to come up with an excuse for her hastiness, but Lisa was more swift.

" _You're_ apologizing?" she asked, looking straight into Lori's eyes.

Lori nodded and idly rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. "Yeah. I was way too snippy with you. You shouldn't have gotten into all that soda, but..."

She paused to consider her words, knowing full well that there was a chance that she could offend Lisa in a different way. Lori had to will herself to continue when she conceded with just getting it out of her system, thinking that the implication of Lisa not being able to handle herself couldn't be worse than yelling at the top of her lungs

"I mean, you're only four. You don't know better, and I should've known that. Besides, I also should've been keeping a better eye on you, anyway."

It was a foolish gamble to think that Lisa wouldn't look at least a little wounded from the subtext of her words, which was why Lori couldn't believe her ears from the way Lisa replied to her.

"Au contrarie. I actually _do_ know better," Lisa said, her tone firm but free of indignation. "That was precisely why I chose to consume that much carbonated liquid in the first place, despite the costs it could have on both my body..."

Her cheeks suddenly took on a light shade of scarlet as she looked away and murmured, "...and my dignity."

Lori winced, not needing Lisa to elaborate. Upon finishing of her final trip to the bathroom, Lisa had shuffled out with her hands behind her back and her head bowed. Lori, who had been waiting for her outside, was halfway through asking if everything was okay until she saw the thin stain that ran down her left pant leg. Before leading Lisa back to her room and getting her a fresh change of clothes to wear, she had sworn to not tell another living soul of the incident.

Lisa went back to looking right at Lori's face after her quick brush with humiliation had passed over her.

"And an apology is quite unnecessary," Lisa continued, sounding a little more reserved and ashamed this time around, "at least on your end. Looking back now, I can see why your discovery couldn't have been comforting to you. Forgive me for causing you alarm. It wasn't my intention."

The last word of that line piqued Lori's curiosity. What she had made out as a simple, childish indulgence was apparently more calculated than she gave it credit for.

"Well then, what _was_ your intention, Lis?" Lori asked.

When Lisa's head perked up and her eyes revealed a little glimmer, Lori knew what she was about to get herself into. Sure enough, she found herself looking on as Lisa scrambled out of bed and began to pace around the floor in a small circle with her arms folded behind her back.

"I've been trying to fight against my accursed hypothalamus all night. It's meticulously driven me to sleep at precisely eight o'clock eastern standard time for as long as I can remember. Had I prepared myself for that inevitability beforehand, I could've invented something to aid me in my task. Unfortunately, because I have no plan, I've been forced to use more primitive methods. Ergo, I felt it necessary to fuel my body with a massive quantity of caffeine to keep myself up for at least another..."

She stopped and stole a quick glance at her wristwatch. "...three hours and five minutes."

Lisa had done everything to establish the "what" but neglected the "why". It took Lori about half a minute to wonder why Lisa would want to stay up so late. And considering how obvious the answer was, it shamed her that it took her that long to put the pieces together.

"Ooooooh, I get it," Lori said with a smile. "You're trying to stay up 'til midnight for New Year's Day, right?"

"Precisely."

"You know, now that I think about it, I remember that you missed out on it last year. Though, you didn't seem to care back then. What's changed?"

As if she had been scalded with a bucket of ice water, Lisa froze on the spot, looking just about as uncomfortable as she did the second she caught Lori at her doorway a few minutes ago.

"Uh..." Lisa's eyes shifted from left to right quickly, as if she was looking around for a path of escape. "...m-my reasons are my own, thank you."

Lori knew better than to let her unintentional impoliteness tick her off, especially since it was clear that she was nervous. Besides, she had better things to think about.

Like the perfect way to get Lisa what she wanted, after all.

"You know, you could always just sleep until it's almost time, and I then I could wake you up," Lori said. "That sounds way better than forcing down gallons of cola, right?"

Lisa's eye-shifting and squirming halted, just in time for the scowling and facepalming to begin.

"Confound it!" she exclaimed the second her palm met the bridge of her nose. "Why didn't _I_ think of that?!"

It was a little vindicating for Lori to see her earlier words about Lisa's age have a place in reality, though she chose to express her satisfaction with an amused chuckle instead of an obnoxious "Told ya so!"

"Like I said, Lisa, you're only four," Lori replied. "You may have a lot of book smarts, but you don't know it all."

Whatever it was about that sage and gentle reminder quelled Lisa's bout of criticism enough for her to peel her hand away and giving Lori her undivided attention.

"You have my gratitude, Lori, but your kindness is unnecessary." She brushed out her signature gesture of self-confidence by pushing up her glasses along the bridge of her nose. "Thanks to all that caffeine, there's no way that I'll be going to sleep anytime so−"

Her declaration of assurance was cut off as Lisa dropped to the ground after falling backwards. Lori didn't even need to her her sleeping face and hear her light snoring to understand what had just happened.

"Mmhmm. That's what happens when I drink too much coffee all at once," Lori said to herself as she waked over to Lisa and scooped her up in her arms. "I guess a certain someone forgot about the aftereffects of caffeine."

This wasn't anything to fret about, given what Lori had wanted to do, anyway. On top of that, to see Lisa in a state of peace, after that cola scare, was just what the doctor ordered.

After tucking Lisa in and putting her glasses on her nightstand, Lori leaned down until her face was just an inch above Lisa's forehead.

"Sleep tight, Lisa," she whispered before placing a light kiss between her eyebrows. "See you in three hours."

With that, she flicked the lights off, walked out, and quietly closed the door.


	2. Chapter 2

By 11:52, Lori was exactly where she promised she'd be.

She didn't dare turn the lights on after she slipped quietly through the darkness of Lisa's unlit room, wanting Lisa to be as comfortable as possible before she shook her awake. Besides that, Lily had been put to bed in her crib a few hours ago, and Lori was trying to be considerate to her, too.

Her seventeen years of memory allowed her to approach Lisa's bed without making so much as a peep, or at least not one loud enough to be of any significance. By now, her eyes were adjusted enough to be able to see her little sister snoozing peacefully, her ruffled hair mushing wildly across her pillow and creating a brown halo around her face.

Lori had to lightly clamp her teeth down on her finger to keep her imminent "Awww!" from slipping out, which was much easier than controlling her urge to take out her phone to take a picture of the adorable sight.

' _Focus, Lori! Lisa is literally counting on you!'_

Instead of preserving the precious moment through snapshots, Lori opted to gingerly peel back Lisa's blanket and softly pry her hands underneath Lisa's sleeping back. Slow and steady would win this race—Lori knew that she'd have to be cautious if she was gonna be able to pick Lisa up out of bed and carry her out of the room with waking her u−

An errant snort through Lisa's mouth and an involuntary twist of her head caused Lori to freeze, a blast of cold ghosting across her chest and making the skin of her forehead perspire tiny beads of chilled sweat.

The tense seconds of waiting finally subsided as Lori's ears perked up to Lisa's mellow snoring, and she knew she was in the clear for what she had to do next. She let a silent breath of relief through her nose before she effortlessly hoisted Lisa off the bed and brought her close to her body, letting her matted hair rest underneath her chin while her arms had her waist secured.

Lori only allowed one of her arms free to move to not only grab Lisa's glasses and shift them into place but for softly pushing the door back until it shut once she tiptoed out of the room.

She wasn't planning on the gentle _*click*_ of the shutting door to make Lisa stir awake, but it worked about as well as tenderly waking her up herself in the end.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Lori whispered in amusement, tickled from the way one of Lisa's eyes blinked open, her twitching nose, and the tiny, incoherent murmur she muttered—she knew her spell of annoyance would pass once she got to the heart of the matter.

"Wha…? Lori is..." Lisa said before a sudden yawn forced her words back for a second. "...is that you?"

Lori snickered and perked up her eyebrow. "What? Were you hoping for Aristotle?"

Once Lori figured that Lisa had fully gotten her bearings, she put her down and waited for a response as Lisa folded her arms and smirked.

"I'm surprised you know who he is," she retorted.

They both shared a laugh as Lori took her sweet 'ol time to ruffle Lisa's hair, and her little sister's giggles and half-hearted protests felt like satisfactory revenge.

"I'll let that one slide," Lori said as she drew her hand back.

What was once evident merriment on Lisa's features gave way to a dawning realization that looked more and more like self-reprimand with each passing second.

"I see my caffeine overload scheme utterly failed," Lisa said, her lips curled in a frown. "That's what I get for not accounting for all the excess adenosine that was sure to flood into their receptors."

Thankfully, for both of their sakes, Lori was quick on her feet to ensure that she forgot all about caffeine and adeni...adreno...eh...whatever that thing Lisa was moping about.

"Anyway," Lori said, "so I woke you up because I said that I'd−"

She didn't get the chance to finish—watching Lisa's huge, knowing grin spread and the childish glimmer of excitement flashing in her widened eyes was too cute to ramble over at first sight.

"Yep. You got it," she finished and beckoned for her to hold her hand by extending it out.

"C'mon. Everyone's watching TV. Right now, we're watching the 'Times Square Ball Drop'. Does that sound okay?"

Once Lisa got the message and reached forward to cup her hand in Lori's, they made their way for the stairs. Lori knew enough about the house to know where she was going without looking ahead of her, which allowed her to watch Lisa's reactions as she mulled over her question.

"Admittedly," Lisa began as she held her chin within the space of her forefinger and thumb, "I haven't the faintest idea what this 'Times Square Ball Drop' entails."

By the time they got to the first step, Lisa had her mind made up as she said, with an assured smile, "Still, I'm sure my first-time experience will be more than adequate."

Her smile became a bit more dreamy and.. _watery_ as a few droplets of drools began to slither out of her outstretched mouth, all while she looked up in pensive thought.

"Especially if I'm allowed to have a few slices of the chocolate-drizzled lemon cake father baked for us before he left."

Lori shook her head, more than ready to sound the metaphorical buzzer off on that idea.

"Not a chance, Einstein," she said, only letting the faintest hint of her sternness slip through the cracks. "You've had way too much sugar today as is."

In the face of her authority, all Lisa could do was let out a defeated whine and protrude a pouty lip. Still, Lori couldn't say that she minded her disappointment.

She had a feeling that she'd be enjoying herself soon enough.

* * *

Everyone was accounted for in the darkened living room by 11:59.

At this point of her life, the only thing Lori could say that changed about watching the "Times Square Ball Drop" was that with each year, the space on the couch got a little bit tighter. But, just like always, everyone found a way to watch the event in comfort.

She took up most of the middle cushion, and was pleasantly surprised when Lisa decided to stay by her as she sat between her legs. The best thing to consider about the close contact, though, was definitely the advantage that came with it. Lori had been awake for more New Year's Eves than she could care to remember, so watching the ball presently slide down its pole wasn't something that she _had_ to see.

But based on how Lisa's unflinching gaze stayed glued on the screen—unshaken by the smattering of conversation interspersed from her siblings that occasionally broke the silence—and her jittery grin, she couldn't say the same thing for her.

And _that_ was what she was living for at the moment. Every gesture and movement from her, no matter how small, was worth watching. Staying up for the turn of the new year may not have been as significant as it was five years ago, but standing by and watching her younger siblings experience something new for the first time would never grow stale

Lincoln's first ice cream, Lynn's first peewee soccer game, Luan's first ventriloquist routine...they all had a special place in her heart. The nostalgia kept endearment anchored in her mind, promising to keep her elated with a treasure trove of memories that she could relive during days where her heart was at its heaviest.

But that benefit would be for the future. For now, she was more than happy to embrace Lisa's palpable excitement, which seemed to spike up to new heights when the LED screen on One Times Square's giant flagpole finally flashed a "10!"

Lori saw Lisa's tiny fists clench in anticipation as everyone, from her siblings to the spectators on the screen, chanted along with the countdown.

"10!"

It took a playful nudge in the ribs to get Lisa to snap out of her stupor. And that was all it took for Lisa to count along.

"9! 8! 7!"

The pyrotechnics, which had already been shooting out in dazzling bursts of orange lights from the tower, were rocketing out at a higher pace now.

"6! 5! 4!"

All of Lisa's eager trembling took Lori back to that sugar-fueled trembling from hours ago, and it made her appreciate this sensation _that_ much more.

"3! 2! 1!"

Just as the screen struck "0", a jazzy rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" blared in the background as the fireworks—which were now on full blast with every color under on the spectrum—heralded the live crowd and the television viewers into a brand new year, which the Louds capped off as they shouted, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

It was the loudest that Lori would allow them to get all day. And even if she wasn't as tolerant to such decibel levels, she'd excuse it just this once.

The cheering and dancing that followed proved to be just as infectious to Lisa as everything else, but Lori tamped down her emotions for her benefit. Lisa had already slipped away to join in on the fun, allowing Lori to get off the couch and stand by the staircase. Luna had taken the liberty of turning the lights off a few seconds ago, and it was just what Lori needed.

' _Perfect.'_

In one swift motion, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and switched on the camera mode. She had to scan the room for a bit until she came across the sight of a lifetime—a stoic scientist out of her element and having the time of her life as she shuffled drunkenly in circles in front of the couch while having a lamp fixture affixed to her head.

One push of a button later and the memory was captured in her phone and in her heart.

' _Looks like I got that picture, after all.'_

Only this one, she said to herself with the biggest smile on her face, was _way_ better.

* * *

Like most new years, it would take at least a few months for a batch of significant changes to take its full swing. The morning after last New Year's Eve shaped up to be much like the last one. The effects of everyone else's partying and hoopla had caught up with them like a strong aftertaste, leaving quite an impression on their fatigue and leaving them resting in their beds by the time Lori woke up a few minutes before nine.

Presently, she was sitting alone at the dining table, her space surrounded by a modest-sized breakfast of toast, bacon, orange juice, and coffee. Even though she wasn't against sleeping in in most cases, those occasions had Mom and Dad around. They still hadn't returned from their night out yet, meaning that her duty wasn't over—getting up before the others made sure that she could still be as vigilant as ever.

But just before she could mind her meal, her ears perked up at the telltale noise of a pair of sock-covered feet sliding against the carpet. She looked up from her plate in time to see none other than a slightly groggy Lisa walk through the dining room's entryway.

"Hey, Lis," Lori said. "You're up earlier than I expected."

Her greeting prompted Lisa to mind her surroundings and realize that she wasn't as alone as she seemingly thought she was. In any case, she was happy enough to smile and head towards her with a greeting of her own.

"Greetings, Lori," Lisa replied.

Without trying to do so, Lori couldn't help but dwell on the contrast between Lisa's present demeanor and how much she let herself unwind and act silly the night before. She wasn't successful in stifling her giggles, something that Lisa's eagle eye was quick to notice.

"And what, might I ask, has you so amused this morning?" Lisa asked with an amused grin of her own as she hopped onto the chair next to Lori's.

She was always one to speak about actions carrying more weight than words, and this was no exception. So, in silence, she took out her phone, went through her photo gallery, and stopped at her latest addition. When Lori flipped it around to show Lisa, she was taken aback and left to regard the photo without a shred of her eloquence.

"Oh," she said simply, her entire face blossoming with pink.

"Looks like someone had a lot of fun last night," Lori teased as she waggled her eyebrows.

"Well, I..." Lisa couldn't help but stop mid-sentence and let out a laugh despite herself. "Yes, Lori. Yes, I did. Thank you."

That tugged on Lori's heart enough to get her to put her phone down on the table and give her sister a quick hug.

"Awww, no problem, Lisa. It's what big sisters are for," Lori said as she let go. "Besides, you've been carrying me through the scariest parts of twelfth grade biochemistry with your tutoring. That was the least I could do for you."

"Well, about that..." For whatever reason, Lisa felt compelled to address her words with an ashamed inflection, which was reflected from how she started wringing her hands in her lap. "I still feel indebted to you. There's something I neglected to tell you yesterday."

Without thinking, Lori scooted herself closer until she could drape her arm around Lisa's shoulders. Something told her that this was going to be a little hard for her to get out, and she hoped this little gesture would give her little sister a smidgen of comfort.

"Remember when I fought against you probing me about why I yearned to be up at twelve o'clock for New Year's Day?" Lisa asked, continuing only when Lori nodded. "I was hesitant about coming clean because I was reluctant to look like a fool."

Lori frowned, offended by the suggestion that Lisa Loud could ever be a fool. "A fool? What'd you mean by that?"

"Lori, I'm a woman of science," Lisa explained. "Every venture I choose to partake has a sensible end in mind. I'd like to think that my pursuits aren't defined by impulses that aren't grounded in reason. And yet, I found myself wanting to stay up late for something as trivial as the completion of Earth's orbit."

As much as it gnawed at Lori's conscience to intervene and assure Lisa was far greater than a fool could ever be, she learned a long time to let a venting session happen unabated. It was better to address everything once it was laid out on the table rather than interrupting the flow at every turn.

"Last year, I wasn't driven to participate. There was no urge, no compulsion to find worth in what's ultimately one of astronomy's least exciting events. To let myself be whipped up in such festive frenzy is nothing more than shameful."

That revelation made Lori gasp, and it pricked her with guilt. Had showing off the photo made her think like that? Had her carelessness forced her to believe that one of the best times of her life had to be sullied?

Even with her venting code, this was something that she had to deal with now.

"Lisa, I swear I wasn't trying to-"

"Or at least, that's what I thought."

Lori paused and blinked, too befuddled to instantly take relief in the grin that Lisa now wore.

"I can't say that I'm more endeared to our planet's orbit than I was at the age of three, but it wasn't until I joined the others that I understood what I had failed to see all along. As you could see for yourself last night, I was determined to see my desires through yet I was still mystified as to where they came from. But my proverbial eyes were opened as soon as I was surrounded by my loved ones, who cared for their company even more than the dawn of the a year."

By now, Lori had her other hand covering her heart, her mouth in a wide grin, and her eyes twinkling from pure delight. To say that this turnabout was a pleasant surprise was an understatement.

"All along, I simply coveted the sense of belonging in my family, the people who have meant more to me than anyone in the world. Regardless of the circumstances, cherishing such moments are worth breaking my conventions for. And in the end, is there anything more reasonable or sensible than that?"

She couldn't take it anymore—Lori got out of her seat as it was on fire and hoisted Lisa up in order to bring her in for a bear hug while rubbing her cheek against hers. She was too enamored to realize that Lisa was straddling the line between being flattered and uneasy from the affection.

"Eeeeeeeeee!" Lori shrieked. "That is literally the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say!"

"Yes, yes, I appreciate the sentiments," Lisa said, a sheepish grin taking form. "But if you don't mind, there's, uh, another pursuit I'd like to indulge in right about now."

Lori took a moment to stop her aggressive cuddling to look Lisa in the eye, wondering where she was coming from.

"If you don't mind cutting me a piece, of course," Lisa clarified, her cheeks flushing guiltily. "I'm sure you're just as hesitant to let me use a knife as our parents."

It took Lori about a second to let the events from last night to catch up with her, namely the conversation the two of them shared on their way down the stairs. She chuckled and rolled her eyes, not realizing why she hadn't picked up on that right away.

"Fine. But if you're eating it this early, it's the only dessert you're getting all day," Lori told her.

Once again, her limitations made Lisa whine. This time, though, she was happy to report that she wouldn't be deprived too much.

"Hey, I didn't say you wouldn't get a big slice, now did I?"

And when Lisa beamed, flashing her heart-fluttering smile, that's when Lori knew she had to make a resolution for the year:

 _Find new ways to make Lisa Loud the happiest little girl in the world._


End file.
